One Night Stand
by Deadly.Nightshade.Blossom
Summary: OxA. She remembered how Odd had been looking at her strangely. She remembered asking why. She remembered Odd suddenly telling her about how much he cared for her, how he would do anything for her. She remembered being overjoyed.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, I don't normally write Odd/Aelita fanfics

**Yes, I don't normally write Odd/Aelita fanfics. Nor do I usually take things as far as bed in my fanfics (whoops, gave something away). But meh, might as well give it a shot…**

**Aelita's POV. Well, kinda… I mean, it's in third person, but you see what Aelita's thinking and… Oh, just read the story already!**

**Aaanyway, what am I doing, boring you with author's notes at the start of every story? Read on (and review, if possible)!**

**Disclaimer: If you honestly think I own Code Lyoko, your IQ should be so low, you shouldn't be able to read this message.**

Aelita sighed, and snuggled deeper into that comforting warmth. She let out a little groan of pleasure.

Then her eyes flew open. The world had turned purple! She threw herself back, tumbling off the bed, taking the sheets with her.

Aelita stared at the bed, which only a few seconds ago, she had been sharing with Odd Della Robbia, still peacefully asleep.

'Princess… Cold…' Odd mumbled, making half-hearted snatches at the sheets.

Aelita couldn't help but smile, but the smile quickly turned into a wince as she looked at the clock, and then down at her bare body.

'Thank _god_ Ulrich is with Yumi for the week,' she muttered as she stumbled around the room, extracting the pink clothes from the purple and wriggling into them.

She then turned to Odd on the bed, who had given up his attempts to get the sheets back and contented himself with curling up into a very tight ball. Aelita smiled again, this time mischievously.

Aelita walked over to the bed and leaned over Odd's ear. 'Rise and shine, darling…' she whispered.

What she was going to say next was unknown, as Odd, supposedly half-asleep, seized Aelita and dragged her onto him.

Aelita's yelp of surprise was muffled as Odd rolled over so he was now on top of her, his grinning face inches from hers.

'You think I was going to let you go so easily? No, you sleep in my bed, you have to pay the price,' Odd hissed in a mock-sinister voice. He began to dip his head, lower and lower, and shut his eyes.

Aelita shook her head, and held Odd off. 'Time,' she croaked. 'Look at the _time!_'

Odd threw a careless glance at the clock, and turned his attention back to her.

'By the time we get to school, we'll be in trouble anyway. So why not just… stay here with me?' he asked, eyes sparkling with some sort of loving hunger.

'Well then, I'm sorry I got dressed,' Aelita giggled, as she reached up and pulled Odd down on top of her. As Odd fell, he quickly pulled the covers over them.

'It's always more exciting in the dark…' The rest of what Odd was going to say was drowned out by a lot of squealing, moaning and groaning.

**(A/N Thank goodness for curvy hyphen thingos, hey?)**

Some two hours later, Aelita woke up again. This time, she recollected _exactly_ what happened. And what had happened scared her.

She remembered how she had come into Odd's room for some cheering up. Somehow, Odd always managed to cheer her up. It was one of the things she loved, that he had and Jeremie didn't.

She remembered how Odd had been looking at her strangely. She remembered asking why. She remembered Odd suddenly telling her about how much he cared for her, how he would do anything for her.

She remembered being overjoyed. The next part was a blur. The last clear thing Aelita could recall was Odd drawing ever closer to her. Then came a frenzied rush of passion, as their kisses became more and more intense.

One thing led to another… and here she was.

She became aware of two arms wrapped around her waist from the back, neither of them hers. She quietly rolled over, until she was facing the owner.

'Odd…' she murmured, running a hand down his cheek, stroking his amazing blonde and purple hair with the other. Somehow, she was a whole lot calmer than the Aelita of before.

Odd lifted one eye open. 'At your service, Princess,' he said, slightly quizzically.

There was a short, sweet silence for a moment. Then the full impact of what she'd done hit Aelita, as suddenly as a punch to the face.

She had had _sex_ with Odd Della Robbia.

_Twice._

Aelita gasped, and started disentangling herself from the bed sheets, which were entwined around the couple.

'No, wait!' Odd sounded slightly desperate. Aelita paused.

'We can keep this a secret. I love you enough to lie all my life about it, if only I can have you…'

'Yes… but what if Jeremie and the others find out? What if…' Aelita's voice trailed off.

'What if, what if…' Odd mocked softly. 'We won't _let_ Jeremie and the others find out, then.'

Aelita thought for a minute. Then she grinned, her emerald eyes lighting up. 'I love you, Odd.'

After the term had started, and XANA renewed the attacks once again, life for Aelita seemed almost normal.

But she never forgot that one day.

**Well. Here's a tricky dilemma. Either I continue on with more chapters, or I just leave it as an (an oneshot doesn't sound right…) oneshot. **

**I'll decide with the opinions of the reviewers, shall I? (Heh, imagine if nobody reviewed…)**


	2. Chapter 2

Well, seeing as none of my (two) reviews actually helped me decide, I wrote another chapter

**Well, seeing as none of my (two) reviews actually helped me decide, I wrote another chapter. **

**Seriously though, there's no point in writing stories if nobody reviews them. And if the two people who reviewed were the only ones who read them… well… I guess I'll have to improve my summary skills, eh?**

**The Lyoko Warriors are in full Season 4 outfits (even if I **_**did**_** like season 1, 2 and 3 better).**

**But if you **_**do**_** happen to be reading it, **_**please**_** review!**

**Here we go… Enjoy!**

Aelita walked slowly toward her classroom, clutching her books, thinking about what had transpired only the day before.

No, she hadn't resented it, she was just… worried. Worried at how the others would react, no matter what Odd said. Aelita didn't like keeping secrets, and this was one of the biggest in her life.

She was _especially_ worried at what a certain bespectacled, blonde genius would have to say.

The guilty twinges quickly stopped as she turned around to be face-to-face with Odd Della Robbia himself.

Odd pouted. 'Why is it that every single time I try to sneak up on you, it never works?' he complained.

Aelita laughed, and kissed Odd on the cheek. 'Jim says we have to do our detentions today after school, in the library.'

Odd held her for a bit, then released his grip. 'No worries, that means we can spend even _more_ time together!' he said. Evidently a small thing like detention wasn't about to ruin his happiness at being with Aelita.

Aelita was touched.

That afternoon, Jim herded them into the library, chiding them all the way.

'And don't you _ever_ miss school again, you hear? I personally think the principal let you off lightly and…'

Aelita and Odd had tuned out a while ago, and were busying themselves catching the other's eye, blushing, and looking away.

Odd extracted a piece of pale pink paper from his pocket. A few deft movements of his hands, and a paper heart was sitting in his palm. He tossed it over to Aelita, who smiled, and blushed yet again. Odd grinned.

The next hour was spent in much the same way, with the couple showing their affection with little things, such as hastily scribbled notes, touches and (in Odd's case) a rough sketch of Aelita on Lyoko.

Jim, sitting on a table in front of them, had fallen asleep within five minutes of setting foot in the library. Drool was running down his chin as his mouth lolled open.

Too bad Jim confiscated our mobiles, thought Aelita. What if there's a XANA attack?

She yawned. She was incredibly bored, despite Odd's continued efforts to cheer her up. She slowly let her head droop onto Odd's purple-clad shoulder.

Odd smiled affectionately at the pink head resting on him. 'Sleep well, Princess,' he whispered, before reaching under her chin, lifting it up and staring into those sleepy, wondrous jade eyes.

On impulse, he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips, a sweet, intense caress that told of his everlasting affections and…

The door flew open. In the threshold stood Yumi, who stared dumbfounded at the scene. Odd and Aelita pulled hastily apart, both flaming crimson.

Yumi's jaw had dropped so far Odd was afraid it would fall off its hinges.

'If you're not careful, some family of gnats will start a colony in your mouth,' Odd advised her. 'I take it you didn't come in to borrow a book?'

Yumi shut it with a snap, recovering her composure, but still looked slightly shocked. 'I- no… It's a XANA attack' she blurted. 'And you had better explain yourselves on the way to the factory,' she added as an afterthought.

'So, let me get this straight… _you_ had _sex_?' Yumi asked.

Aelita nodded miserably. Hearing it said out loud sounded a thousand times worse than in her head.

'But… but… Jeremie!' Yumi spluttered, unable to form a proper sentence.

'Who cares? As long as you keep this a secret, nobody will ever know,' Odd said with satisfaction.

Yumi's eyes narrowed. 'And I suppose me coming across you two back then was meant to happen? What if Jeremie does what I did? I think you ought to tell him, and-'

'We're not telling _anyone_. We're supposed to be cousins, remember?' Odd said flatly.

'Then act like cousins!' Yumi snapped.

'Odd-' Aelita couldn't finish her sentence, as at that moment, they arrived in the computer room **(A/N Is that the name of the room Jeremie sits at?)**. She only had time to throw Yumi one last pleading glance to keep the whole affair a secret.

Jeremie smiled, relieved. 'Good, you're all here. Ulrich is already on Lyoko. Get to the scanner room, and I'll virtualise you,' he instructed. He watched the elevator door descend on the group, his eyes lingering on Aelita's with a smile.

'Virtualisation.' Jeremie's voice sounded as a wind rushed through their bodies. They had the sensation of falling for a split second, and then landed safely in the desert of Lyoko.

Ulrich looked them up and down. 'You took your time getting here,' he commented. Odd scowled at him.

'The tower is just ahead of you. I'll call up your vehicles,' Jeremie said from above. True to Jeremie's word, the Overwing, Overboard and Overbike materialised.

Ulrich, Yumi and Odd got on their respective rides, while Aelita, instead of riding with Yumi as she usually did, jumped on the back of the Overboard, perhaps holding Odd around the waist a little too closely than was necessary.

Ulrich raised an eyebrow, and looked at Yumi quizzically. She rolled her eyes, and soared off.

**Hmm… you reckon Ulrich suspects? I'll only continue if you ****review****. So get on with it! **

**And I'm thinking of changing the title. Except I have no idea what to. Help me out here… (in your reviews, of course…)**


	3. Chapter 3

Third chapter

**Third chapter! Yay! And yes audi katia, I've decided to take your advice and stop pestering my readers for reviews.**

**Unlike last chapter, this one picks up exactly where it left off. And I've kind of slipped out of Aelita's POV now. It'll change, so don't get confused.**

**Oh, and I couldn't be bothered making up a XANA attack.**

**Enjoy!**

Ulrich looked confusedly at Yumi soaring off.

'Oh, no you don't,' he muttered, revving his Overbike and shooting off after her. He pulled up next to her.

'What's going on?' Ulrich asked. 'If I remember correctly, Aelita doesn't have a crush on-' Yumi gesticulated wildly for him to shut up, jabbing a finger upwards to emphasise that Jeremie was probably listening to every word.

Ulrich went silent, but mouthed 'What's going on?'

Yumi shook her head and pointed above again. Then she sped off to deal with some monsters and William, who had materialised up ahead.

Ulrich sighed, and took another glance at Aelita and Odd, talking and joking as they flew around the confused monsters. There _was_ something that had changed – the way they looked at one another, the way they caressed, and blushed.

He was going to get to the bottom of this, just not now. He drove as hard as he could at the nearest monster, a Krabe, and jumped off his bike at the last second, watching it careen into the unfortunate monster and destroy it.

A shriek shrilled through the air behind him. Ulrich whipped around, unsheathing his katanas in the same movement.

Aelita was knocked flying, no doubt by a laser shot, over the edge of the sector. A strangled shout of 'Aelita!' rang out and Odd, running so fast he was a purple blur, dashed to Aelita's side and seized her hand just in time.

Nearby, Yumi finished off the rest of the monsters with tessan fans. She then set to work drawing William away from Odd and Aelita.

William got past her defence with a roar, and ran straight for the couple half-dangling off the edge, obviously hoping to push them both off. But Yumi had other ideas.

Flipping toward William just as he reached Odd and Aelita, her feet connected with the small of his back. She pushed with all her might, and William went flying head over heels into the digital sea.

'Smooth,' congratulated Ulrich.

Yumi grinned mischievously. 'Thanks.'

Ulrich turned back to the scene, while Yumi scanned the horizon for more monsters.

Odd had now hauled Aelita up, and was now hugging her, Odd's back to Ulrich. Ulrich could've been mistaken, but he was certain Odd was kissing Aelita's forehead.

'Thank goodness Jeremie can't see this,' he muttered under his breath. He turned around to see Yumi slap her forehead, and stride toward them.

He thought he caught Yumi muttering 'They call this _subtle_?' as she walked past him.

Fortunately, Aelita had broken away, and had entered the tower. A few minutes later, Jeremie's relieved voice sounded.

'Well done, guys! I'm going to materialise you now…' They heard the tapping of computer keys. 'Odd and Aelita first.' More tapping of keys. 'Materialisation Odd. Materialisation Aelita.'

Beside Ulrich and Yumi, Odd and Aelita's forms turned into wireframes, and eventually vanished.

'You had better explain them at school,' Ulrich muttered to Yumi under his breath as they too, were materialised.

Ulrich had dragged Yumi outside the cafeteria, and was demanding explanations. At first, Yumi insisted stubbornly she didn't know what he was on about. But eventually she gave in, and told him everything in a few well-chosen, blunt sentences.

Ulrich's eyes were popping. 'B-but… Odd and Aelita?' he half-whispered. He shook his head. 'No…'

Yumi looked at him, arms crossed. 'Yup,' she said mock-cheerfully. 'And now we have a scandal on our hands.'

'Geez Ulrich, even _Yumi_ didn't look this ridiculous when we told her!' Odd's merry voice rang out, his arm draped around Aelita's shoulders. Fortunately, there was nobody around to see.

'You did tell him, right?' he added to Yumi. She nodded, looking faintly bored.

'Well, you know, the best thing to do is to tell Jeremie. You can't lie to him forever, Aelita. And he does love you,' Ulrich said slowly, once he had calmed down.

'No. I've been through this, and we're _not_ telling.' Odd said flatly. 'Besides, you're a fine one to talk about admitting love-related things!' he snapped.

Ulrich blinked, and then blushed hotly as Odd glanced meaningfully at Yumi, who was watching the exchange with a confused air.

'Wh-what? I don't know what you're talking about,' he said hastily, eyes flicking guiltily over to Yumi.

Yumi raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

'Odd… can I talk to you for a bit?' Aelita asked softly. 'Privately,' she added.

'Sure thing, Princess,' Odd replied warmly, leading her off by the hand.

Some time later, Ulrich saw them from his dorm window, sitting on a bench. They appeared to be in deep conversation. Aelita seemed to be pleading with Odd, and Odd refusing.

Odd finally nodded, and stood up, mouth forming words. Ulrich, an expert lip-reader, interpreted this as 'I'll talk to him.'

Aelita stood up also, and flung her arms around Odd, burying her head into his shoulder. Odd held her, and then gently loosened her grip. He looked down into her face, and kissed her passionately.

Ulrich had seen enough. He knew what they were going to do, and fervently prayed Jeremie wasn't prone to violent fits of anger.

**End of yet **_**another**_** chapter! Hope you liked it!**

**Do you know, Aelita and Jeremie are voiced by the same person? I found it quite amusing…**


	4. Chapter 4

I got fed up waiting for more reviews

**I got fed up waiting for more reviews. So here's the 4****th**** chapter!**

Jeremie trotted across the cafeteria carrying his breakfast tray, settling down beside Aelita. His friends greeted him, and then went back to their meals.

He smiled at his pink-haired friend, albeit nervously. She smiled politely back at him **(A/N How to save a life…)**.

Odd, sitting opposite them, cleared his throat. Aelita flashed him an annoyed look.

'Jer-' Odd began, but was cut off.

'Um… Aelita?' Jeremie asked shyly. 'You- you want to come to the movies with me? Tomorrow? Seeing as we finished the new program for the Skid and everything…' he said, now blushing furiously.

Aelita flashed another glance at Odd, this time anxious. Ulrich stopped eating to listen to her reaction.

'Um… erm… Well, I-' Aelita stuttered.

'She doesn't want to,' said Odd harshly, standing up. Aelita looked furious.

'Yes, tomorrow would be _fine_,' she said icily, glaring at Odd before smiling sweetly at Jeremie. Odd narrowed his eyes, and stalked off.

'Um… that's great!' Jeremie said, sounding a bit confused. 'So… seven o'clock?' he queried.

'Yes, that would be fine,' she said, before standing up, beaming at Jeremie and following Odd. 'Better find out whether he's cooled down yet,' she explained over her shoulder.

Jeremie watched her go. True, he was overjoyed Aelita had accepted. But he couldn't help thinking her smile was rather forced.

Ulrich looked determinedly at his food, as though convinced if he stared long enough, something miraculous would happen. Jeremie, too, stared at his own untouched food, with a suddenly vanished appetite.

'You have it. I- I'm not hungry,' Jeremie said quietly, pushing his tray toward Ulrich and leaving the table. As he walked out the door, Yumi came in.

'Hey,' she said, making her way over to his table. 'Where is everybody?'

'The problem with Jeremie is that even though he's such a genius and everything, the one thing he can't see is what's right in front of his face. And the problem with Odd is he _only_ sees what's right in front of his face. So what do I _do_?' wailed Aelita to nobody in particular.

'You could, for one, come out of your dorm already. Classes started five minutes ago, and I went looking for you,' came a dry voice at the foot of the bed which Aelita had flung herself onto.

Aelita jumped, and sat up. 'I didn't hear you come in,' she informed the Japanese girl looking at her from the end of her bed.

Yumi smiled thinly. 'Not many people do,' she said.

'Oh Yumi, I'm so glad you're here,' Aelita half-whispered, eyes brimming with tears. She rushed forward and flung herself into the older girl's arms.

Yumi hugged her. 'You'll pull through this,' she said bracingly. 'We'll go to the infirmary, all right?' Aelita nodded, smiling slightly.

Together they set off.

Meanwhile, Jeremie was looking worriedly at Aelita's empty seat behind him. He then glanced toward the teacher, who had started marking the roll.

Odd, sitting directly behind him, was glaring daggers into the back of the unfortunate blonde's head.

Ulrich hid a smile behind his hand. If looks could kill…

'Uh, ma'am? I'm not feeling too well; may I go to the infirmary? I think it was something I ate at breakfast…' **(A/N it's funny how the CL teachers fall for this every single time) ** Jeremie said hopefully.

The teacher barely looked up as she nodded her permission.

'I'll go with him,' said Odd, his voice almost a hiss. Jeremie looked around, startled, at Odd, and then nodded nervously.

'No, Odd, you stay in your seat. The infirmary is practically next door,' the teacher said firmly.

Odd opened his mouth as if to argue, and then slowly sat down with very bad grace. He continued to sulk throughout the lessons.

Aelita sighed at herself as she sat in front of her mirror, preparing for the movie date.

_Boys_, she thought disgustedly. _Why_ did they have to go and be so protective? Especially Odd… he always messed up everything.

She instantly reproached herself for even _thinking_ such a thing. She was in love with him, how could she have thought something so spiteful?

_Well, if you're in love with him, why are you going on a date with another guy?_ asked a voice in her head.

'He provoked me,' she said aloud. But already she was regretting her decision. To sit through two hours of watching Jeremie please her in whatever way he could, smiling shyly at her with blue eyes full of affection was almost too much to bear.

Already, she was feeling twinges of guilt.

Aelita looked at the clock. Time to go! She and Jeremie had agreed to meet up outside the Kadic gates.

Aelita staggered back into her dorm room. It had been a nightmare, even worse than she'd imagined.

Sure, it was a nice movie that Jeremie had let her pick; sure, Jeremie had insisted on paying for everything; sure, Jeremie had sacrificed his seat so Aelita could have a better view…

But all that had just made everything worse for Aelita. She had just sat there and squirmed silently in her seat, not paying attention to the movie at all, and letting Jeremie's brave stabs at conversation trail miserably off.

Odd charged in, not even bothering to knock. 'Did you have a nice date with _Jeremie_?' he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.

'Is that all you came in for? And for the record, you _provoked_ me into saying yes,' Aelita snapped, wanting to vent her anger on something.

Odd's face twisted, for a second he looked positively monstrous. 'If that's the way you feel then,' he said coldly. He then marched out the door without a glance back.

Aelita could've died.

Jeremie, on his part, was bewildered. Aelita had been distant all through the date, and at times looked ready to burst into tears. What Jeremie had expected to be the best night of his life had turned out quite the opposite.

He was so _sure_ Aelita liked him… now cracks were beginning to form in his resolution.

Tomorrow, he would talk to Odd.

**Ooh… What's going to happen now? Aelita's alone, Jeremie suspects, and Odd needs anger management!**

**Yeah, I know that this chapter was going to be the one where Odd confronts Jeremie, but I couldn't help dragging the storyline on for a bit…**

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, this is actually the longest story I ever wrote

**Wow, this is actually the longest story I ever wrote! (But considering I have only written three stories, that's not saying much…)**

**Read on…**

Aelita rose out of bed, and dressed. Her usually sparkling eyes were dull and red from lack of sleep and crying and her usually perfectly ordered pink hair hung dishevelled around her face.

She was so distracted, she realised she was attempting to pull a sock over her head. She quickly pulled all her clothes onto their respective places, and walked out to have breakfast.

'Boys!' she muttered angrily under her breath. 'Why do boys _always_ have to be so damn protective?'

'Wow, Aelita, I think that was your first swear word,' Ulrich remarked behind her. He was drying his hair with a towel, and looking at her amusedly.

Aelita spun around and blushed. 'I didn't mean you Ulrich, I meant-'

Ulrich laughed. 'I know, I know. Actually I'm here to deliver a message from Odd,' –at the point Aelita scowled- 'he says he wants to meet you at "the bench" before breakfast,' finished Ulrich, a slight grin on his face.

'By the way, you look terrible, are you feeling all right?'

Aelita smiled weakly. 'Yeah, I'm all right. Just… just tired.'

Ulrich smiled comfortingly. 'It'll all turn out for the best. When Odd was telling me the message, he looked sorry, at least.' He then turned around and left for his dorm.

'Hey Aelita!' Odd sat up on the bench straighter and waved tentatively. Eager relief was written all over his face.

Aelita smiled coldly, and refused to sit down when Odd moved over.

Odd's face fell at Aelita's distant manner. 'Hey, um… listen. I wanted to say… well…' he scratched his head, clearly lost for words to express himself.

Aelita stared at him impatiently. If Odd had just summoned her to see whether she would turn up or not, she didn't know why she bothered.

In her anger, she failed to notice Odd was nearly on the verge of tears. She tapped her foot and heightened Odd's distress by looking at her watch impatiently.

'I'm really, really sorry,' Odd finally blurted out. 'I've been really horrible to you and Jeremie and everyone else – even _Kiwi_ avoided me!'

Aelita slowly unfolded her arms, as a radiant smile spread over her face. Odd's face, in turn, lit up. 'You mean it?' she asked slowly.

Odd scowled. 'What d'you think?' But the sulky effect was spoiled by his dancing eyes. Suddenly, he sprang up, and hugged Aelita tightly, kissing her over and over again. Aelita responded with enthusiasm.

'Listen… d'you want to come to the dance tonight with me?' he asked, once they had broken apart.

Aelita had forgotten completely about the dance, and nodded, smiling, too happy to remember that Jeremie probably had the exact same thing to ask her in mind.

The Jeremie in question was in fact tapping away on his laptop just around the corner. He had a headache, and couldn't stand the noisy cafeteria. Moreover, he dreaded talking to Aelita again after last night's fiasco.

So when he looked up, he was slightly surprised to see two elongated shadows stretching out in front of him. He frowned, and then went back to his laptop. What other students wanted to do was none of his business.

Then his head jerked back up, and he stared at one particular silhouette. It had a very familiar hairstyle – he knew only one person with a ridiculously long spike of hair.

And the other shadow – yes, it was familiar as well. Aelita being his crush, he had her image burned into his brain. And that shadow matched up perfectly.

So you can imagine it was a bit of a shock to poor Jeremie when the two figures unmistakeably _kissed. _Yes, _kissed._

And then he heard a voice ask softly whether the other wanted to come to the dance that night. Yup, definitely Odd's voice. And judging by the shadows' reaction, Aelita had said yes.

Jeremie sat there, dumbfounded, for a bit, then shook his head to clear it and shut his laptop lid. Yes, he would definitely have to talk to Odd.

That night, at the dance, Jeremie was a wallflower. He could feel Aelita throwing him odd looks, no doubt wondering why he was so especially shy. He looked at his feet for almost half the time, and declined any offers to dance.

Only when Yumi and Ulrich practically dragged him onto the dance floor did he bounce on his heels very unenthusiastically, then mumbled something about the bathroom and went off in search of Odd.

'What's wrong with Jeremie?' asked Yumi quizzically, shooting a glance at the brunette.

'Well… you don't think he suspects?' replied Ulrich softly.

Yumi rolled her eyes. 'Of course! I _told_ them they couldn't keep it a secret for more than a month…' She made as if to follow Jeremie, but Ulrich pulled her back.

'Leave them alone,' he said quietly.

'Them? What do you mean, _the-_ Oh!' She watched Jeremie talk politely to Odd, and lead him outside, leaving a very anxious Aelita behind.

'Reckon we should go and comfort the princess is distress?' muttered Ulrich under his breath to Yumi.

'Yeah,' replied Yumi, heading over to their pink-haired friend.

'You know why we're here, right?' asked Jeremie quietly.

'No,' replied Odd stubbornly.

Jeremie gave an exasperated sigh. 'It's no use hiding it, you're not being exactly _discreet_…'

'Discreet about what?' Odd asked.

Jeremie just stared at him with piercing blue eyes.

'All right, all right…' said Odd. 'But it seriously wasn't my choice. Aelita came into my room, and… erm…' his voice trailed off.

'You…asked her out?' Jeremie's voice sounded slightly choked.

Odd shook his head, unable to speak.

'You… kissed?' Jeremie tried again.

Odd shook his head again, looking miserable.

'You… you… no – you didn't,' gasped Jeremie.

Odd nodded his head, looking at his feet. 'Yup.'

'Well… if Aelita chose you, I guess that's that. I can't exactly do anything about it,' sighed Jeremie

'Wh-what?' Odd's head jerked up, wild disbelief written all over his face.

Even though it was the last thing he felt like doing, Jeremie chuckled at the look on Odd's face.

An insanely wide grin spread over Odd's face. He was looking at Jeremie as if he were a god.

Jeremie scuffled his feet nervously. 'Well, you know, if Aelita's happy, I'm happy,' he mumbled softly.

Odd stared at him, then flung his arms around him. 'You really do love her, don't you?'

Jeremie nodded, unable to completely hide the misery on his face.

Odd stared at him for another moment, lost for words. 'Thank you,' he whispered, before turning to go.

'Odd?'

Odd half turned back to Jeremie. 'What?'

'Treat her right. If you don't… Let's just say I won't be happy,' the dangerous note in Jeremie's voice was slightly scary. Odd nodded **(A/N Ha, that rhymes… kinda…)**, and went back inside.

Jeremie stood there quietly, thinking of the conversation. Then, he abruptly turned and walked back to his dorm.

Meanwhile, inside, Ulrich and Yumi were rather unsuccessfully attempting to cheer up Aelita.

'C'mon, I bet they're doing fine,' Yumi told her bracingly.

'Yeah, you can't hear anyone being murdered, can you?' Ulrich quipped. He soon wilted under Yumi's furious glare.

Aelita was pale, not even paying attention to her friends, just watching the door. Eventually, Odd emerged and Aelita flew into his arms.

'How- what-' Aelita gazed imploringly into Odd's eyes.

'I'm sorry Aelita. Jeremie committed suicide,' Odd replied sombrely.

Aelita gave a shriek, and stepped back. Then Odd doubled over, laughing.

'Just joking! He said it was all right,' he said.

Aelita scowled up at him. 'Don't even _think_ about joking about stuff like that,' she said. But then, he was kissing her like he never had before, and passion was running through every single inch of her…

'Sorry to interrupt what is no doubt a very passionate moment, but where exactly _is_ Einstein?' Ulrich's dry voice asked, albeit sarcastically, behind them.

They broke apart and whirled around. Ulrich stared at them, waiting for an answer, eyebrow raised.

Behind him, Yumi was having a silent fit of giggles.

Odd looked at Aelita. Aelita looked at Odd. 'No idea,' they said simultaneously.

'Try his dorm,' suggested Aelita.

'Or the factory,' added Odd.

Ulrich and Yumi nodded, and Ulrich waved a hand at them dismissively. 'You just pretend we never interrupted, okay?'

**Yup. End of another chapter.**

**And sorry to the people who were expecting a full-on fist fight between Odd and Jeremie or something along those lines.**

**I think one or two more chapters ought to finish off this story… what d'you think?**

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

I hope this chapter a) satisfies your 'need for more pain', myth buster and b) the feeling that Jeremie will do something drastic and dramatic, audi katia

**I hope the next few chapters satisfies your 'need for more pain', myth buster!**

**Yes. I was originally going to have him possessed by XANA and then… I dunno… throw everyone into the digital sea with a roar? But I'll save that for another story, eh? .**

Jeremie lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, in much of the same position as he had been for the majority of the last few days.

His glasses askew, hair sticking out in all directions and clothes rumpled, he looked nothing like the Jeremie of old. But why on earth should he care?

His room was in tatters. Before, it had been messy, now it just looked like a bomb had exploded. Jim, seeing the scarily blank look on Jeremie's face had consulted Yolande and left him well alone.

Just like the rest of the world.

His reason for this un-Jeremie-like stupor? His reason why what remained of his heart was shrivelled up like a rag that had been in the wash one too many times?

The girl of his dreams, his angel, his princess… had left him for another guy.

Aelita Hopper… He had been so _sure_ she loved him… he who was the reason Aelita was standing on damned earth in the first place.

But had she done? Gone and had _sex_ with Odd Della Robbia, his supposed _friend._

Even as Jeremie thought this, he knew it was a lie. He could not muster any bad feelings against his friends; it was, after all, their choice.

He continued his burning stare into the ceiling, unblinking and, for all it seemed, unbreathing.

Sure, he thought. If Aelita's happy, I'm happy. So why aren't I happy?

Even as his reputedly brilliant mind sought to find a logical explanation as to why he was spending his days glaring at the upholstery, he already knew it. He would just have to accept it and move on.

Jeremie shuddered as he imagined his future. Flashing false smiles, pretending to be overjoyed… even the idea of watching Odd and Aelita together repulsed him. And what would he do if they got married? He might as well commit suicide there and then.

Unknown to him, a tear was trickling its way slowly down his cheek as he lay spreadeagled on his bed.

**(A/N I got fed up having failed paragraph breaker thingos.) **PARAGRAPH BREAK

'Should we go to him?'

'What should we do?'

'Does Yolande know?'

'Is he eating?'

'Is he _alive_?'

Yumi winced as she heard the last comment. People were talking about Jeremie's solitary confinement for days; suspicious eyes followed Odd and Aelita everywhere.

Yumi sighed in relief as she finally arrived into class. She dropped her books on her desk and slumped in her chair.

Still, being in class wasn't much better. She could feel the gaze of her classmates burning into her back.

Finally, she lost her temper when a paper ball hit her on the back of her head. She picked it up, smoothed it out and read,

'_What's wrong with Jeremie? Tell the truth.'_

She stood up and shoved her chair back, ignoring it as it crashed into the desk behind her.

'You want to know "what's wrong with Jeremie?" He's stuck in his room because he can't stand being any closer to idiots like you who ruin his day. So you just leave him alone and stay away from him, you hear?'

At the front of the class, the teacher looked coolly over the rim of her glasses at Yumi. Yumi stared back defiantly.

'Miss Ishiyama. The principal's office. Now.'

Yumi marched out, breathing hard.

She hadn't realised she missed her blonde friend so much – he had been there with the group through so many XANA attacks, always encouraging them, smiling geekily. Wasn't he the one who brought the group together by discovering the supercomputer? **(A/N I'm not sure if that's true…)**

No way was she going to the principal's office if she could help it.

Instead, she took the well-known route to Jeremie's room. Little did she know she would soon be joined.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

'Get outside.'

Ulrich stood up. 'Fine. I wouldn't want to be in the same room as _them_, anyway,' he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the rest of his class, who were all staring, stunned. A few sniggered.

'I said, out,' the teacher said. Ulrich stalked out, not even bothering to take up his books.

As he passed Odd and Aelita's table (they had started sitting next to each other), they looked at him, puzzled and slightly guilty. He didn't blame them; though they were really at the heart of this.

But then, they were too happy and in love to notice anything but each other.

Just few minutes ago, he had lost his head completely, and had yelled at the whole class at the top of his voice for much the same reason Yumi had shouted at hers.

Once he left the room, he waited until he was positive nobody was watching him anymore and he set off at a run to the blonde genius's room.

**Yup. Boring chapter. I know.**

**I think the storyline may carry on for a few chapters yet…**

**Tell me what you think of it in your reviews!**

**Oh and myth buster? If you want pain, I suggest you look at my other fanfic 'Teardrops on my Guitar'. I didn't put much anguish in this story because most of it would've been copied off that fanfic anyway.**


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter up

**New chapter up! (But I suppose you figured that out…)**

**Enjoy and review!**

'Wh-what are you doing here?' Ulrich asked, surprised.

'What are _you_?' Yumi shot back. She turned around completely to face him, Ulrich had caught her banging on Jeremie's door and yelling things he hadn't quite caught.

'I got kicked out of class because… well… I kind of lost my temper,' Ulrich said, scratching his hair embarrassedly.

'Yeah, so did I,' Yumi replied casually. She then turned her back on him and continued her assault on the door, which appeared to be locked.

'I am going to break this door down if you- Oh!'

The door abruptly swung open. Jeremie blinked at them sullenly. 'What?' he said flatly.

'We… um… we wanted to see you?' Ulrich offered lamely.

Yumi shot him a furious glare.

'Jeremie, get out of this room. Everybody's spreading rumours about you, and-'

'Why should I care?' Jeremie asked bluntly.

'I… um…' Yumi stuttered, shocked at her friend's behaviour.

'Nope. I don't. So why don't you stop making up lies and trot along back to Odd and Aelita? I notice they aren't with you, send them my regards!' A horrible, mock-cheerful smile had stretched over his face. 'I suppose their relationship's going along just dandy, hey?' he shot at Ulrich.

Ulrich, too dumbstruck to consider the question, nodded.

Jeremie's face twisted strangely and he slammed the door in their faces.

Yumi rounded on him. '_Why_ did you nod, might I ask?' she asked furiously. Ulrich stoutly stood his ground.

'Well, he would have gotten even angrier if we told him lies,' he replied coolly.

'You could've been more sympathetic, at least!' Yumi retorted.

There was silence, then Ulrich said, 'Jeremie is scary when he's angry.'

'Yeah,' Yumi agreed.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Jeremie collapsed back onto his bed, considering what he had done.

No, he shouldn't have lost his temper, and taken it out on Ulrich and Yumi. But he needed _some_ sort of vent for his emotion, right?

_That's no excuse for the way you're treating your friends,_ said a reasonable voice in his head.

_Yeah, but they aren't exactly my _friends_, now, are they?_ his rebellious side retorted.

_Now you're lying to yourself, and you know it,_ said the reasonable side.

Jeremie groaned, and suddenly jerked up as if he had received an electric shock.

He wouldn't stay snivelling on his bed for the rest of his life. No, he was going to hold his head up and walk the corridors of Kadic, and bear the taunts that came his way.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

'Is that…_him_?'

'He looks terrible…'

'Has he heard? About Odd and Aelita…'

'Of course, that's why he locked himself up in the first place!'

Jeremie gritted his teeth as he walked through the cafeteria with his lunch.

Heads turned as he went by, as if he was some sort of ghost. People looked away when he met their eyes, and whispered to their neighbours.

'Hey, guys!' he said as cheerfully as he could, finally reaching the table where his friends sat. As he reached them, he noted their conversation stopped abruptly.

He surveyed them. Ulrich and Yumi looked back tentatively with nervous smiles, as if fearing another outburst, Odd suddenly became very interested in his fork, and Aelita flinched and looked away as he met her eyes. Her beautiful green eyes…

Here his friends were, treating him like some sort of freak. No-one dared to speak. Scowling, Jeremie sat down.

'So… er… how are you?' said Aelita in an unnaturally high voice, still not looking at him.

'Great. Yeah, just fantastic,' Jeremie replied sarcastically.

'Well… well that's good!' Aelita gave a squeaky, nervous laugh. Jeremie winced.

A heavy silence fell again, as everybody began eating at top speed, Odd now examining his left foot.

Jeremie could stand the silence no longer.

'Look, I know I've been horrible, I want to say I'm sorry, and that I don't care in the least about Odd and Aelita, and I really want to be friends again,' he burst out.

Odd finally looked up, the wonders of his left foot evidently gone. 'Well, why didn't you say so?' he asked mischievously.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Jeremie was feeling great. A week had passed, and he was back on top of his studies. He had just bidden goodbye to his friends, preferring to skip dinner to work on a new program he had developed.

Still, he mused as he made his way up to the boy's dorm. I wonder if-

The rest of his thought was cut off as he suddenly slipped on a stray bit of paper.

His arms flailed for balance, but in vain. He skidded down the narrow stairs, desperately trying to gain even footage, before finally landing with an ominous crack at the bottom of the steps.

He wasn't moving.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi and Jeremie's closest family all stood around an open grave while a priest droned away behind them. Inside, hands folded peacefully, almost as if he were asleep, lay Jeremie Belpois.

They were gathered around in a silent mourning. In the background, Kiwi was howling.

Tears dripped down Aelita's face.

'I'm so sorry Jeremie…' she whispered. Odd put an arm around her, although he was fighting valiantly to keep tears back as well.

Ulrich's face looked like it was carved of stone, while Yumi had her eyes closed to stop tears seeping out from under the lids.

As the grave was filled, Jeremie's body gradually disappeared from view. At this, Aelita gave a wail of misery and buried her face in Odd's shoulder.

Yumi, on the other hand, had overflowed. She had opened her eyes, and tears were pouring silently down her face.

Ulrich's eyes flicked toward her, the largest movement he had made in a while, and, without a word, put his arms around her.

She rested her head against Ulrich's, letting his hair soak in the tears.

Unnoticed, Ulrich had begun to cry also, bravely keeping his face expressionless.

They stood there until the sun set. They then left beautiful bouquets of flowers upon the earth where he lay, and slowly set off.

Jeremie Belpois, genius, lover, friend… had died.

**End of the story! Hope you liked it! Please review, I know the end was a bit corny and dramatic… I really should lay off depressing stories, shouldn't I?**

**Hmm… I actually hadn't intended this chapter to be the final one… but then, I didn't intend to have more than three chapters anyway.**

**Again, please review, they mean a lot to me!**


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